Jarod Meyer
TomKat Graduate Fellow for Translational Research
Research Lab: Kunal Mukherjee
Year Awarded: 2023
Jarod is a PhD Candidate in Materials Science and Engineering advised by Professor Kunal Mukherjee. At Stanford, his research focuses on investigating the crystal growth and optical properties of IV-VI semiconductor alloys for optoelectronic applications in the mid-infrared. Prior to Stanford, he received his undergraduate degree in Materials Science and Engineering at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, where he worked in Professor Can Bayram’s lab on light emission in III-Nitride semiconductor materials.
Mid-infrared LEDs for low-cost and ubiquitous environmental monitoring
Petrochemical compounds and fuel mixtures are commonplace in modern manufacturing and heavy industrial processes that rely on their extraction, transportation, storage, and eventual usage. As the greenhouse gas emissions and high environmental toxicity of these compounds are of great concern, sustainable usage of these compounds must focus on reducing avoidable emissions from gas leaks and spills. On-site deployment of optical gas sensors at chemical storage sites, pipelines, and railways could enable rapid detection and response to gas leaks and spills before they become environmentally problematic.
Optical gas sensors operating in the 3 – 12 µm Mid-Infrared (Mid-IR) portion of the electromagnetic spectrum are the gold standard for efficient chemical sensing. The strong characteristic absorption lines of molecules in the Mid-IR enables quantitative gas analysis with a combined light emitter and detector platform. For widespread deployment of chemical sensors, there is a critical need for efficient, room-temperature operable Mid-IR light sources that can be manufactured cost-effectively. Lead Tin Selenide (PbSnSe) is an intriguing material for Mid-IR light emission, possessing a high efficiency of light emission at room temperature even when grown on commercially relevant and cost-effective substrates like Silicon and Gallium Arsenide. This project will investigate if PbSnSe-based Mid-IR LEDs could be used for low-cost and quantitative gas sensing at room temperature and enable more effective environmental emissions monitoring.